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How Safe Is Our Food?

Recent trends and case studies of recalls, and what they mean for our health

A Report by U.S. PIRG Education Fund
Written by Viveth Karthikeyan & Adam Garber, U.S. PIRG Education FundDOWNLOAD THE REPORT

Americans rely on a vast network of farms and businesses to provide safe food daily. But in recent years, a string of high-profile recalls ranging from romaine lettuce to millions of pounds of beef to Ritz and Goldfish crackers have called into question the system developed to ensure safe food reaches people’s plates. The ubiquity of the problem can make grocery shopping a game of Russian roulette where what a family has for dinner could make them seriously sick.

While our food safety system has improved significantly over the last 100 years, when toxics, fake foodstuffs and bacteria regularly infiltrated the supply, it is clear there is more work to do. A modern society relies on ensuring that the daily act of eating does not undermine the health of the population. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to get a handle on trends within the food system as ongoing, individual testing results are hard to access and may not indicate what hazards are reaching people’s mouths.

In 2018, there were a number of high profile food recalls, including a nationwide recall of Romain lettuce, and millions of pounds of beef contaminated with antibiotic-resistant salmonella.

In 2011, the United States made significant upgrades to the food safety system by passing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This law, pushed through in the wake of a number of significant food recalls, was supposed to help the nation identify additional dangers by ensuring we were using modern techniques to track outbreaks of contamination like Salmonella and dangerous strains of E. coli, improve regulatory oversight of the food production system to minimize contamination, and update recall laws.

Our food safety system has two lines of defense. First, a series of protections including health standards, inspections and enforcement help keep contaminants out of the food supply in the first place. Second, when contaminated products make it to store shelves, the recall system helps remove these products from stores, homes and restaurants to keep people safe.

Our research shows a dramatic increase in the number of recalls between 2013 and 2017.

*Recalls that are most likely to cause a health hazard or death are classified as “Class 1” recalls.

It is true that the ability to link infections together and trace them back to the source has improved significantly in the last decade through new technology such as Whole Genome Sequencing. This may explain some of these findings. But whether we’ve always had a food safety problem and now we can see it, or the problem is getting worse in recent years, misses the point. Americans should be confident that our food is safe and uncontaminated from dangerous bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella.

In addition, the number of recent high-profile recalls that stick in the public mind are the tip of the iceberg. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 in 6 people in the U.S. get foodborne illness with 128,000 individuals hospitalized and 3,000 dying every year. These infections include E. coli and Salmonella poisoning as well as Clostridium, Campylobacter and Toxoplasma gondii. The cumulative public health risk of foodborne illness warrants further study into causes and solutions.

CASE STUDY: 1 of 7

Romaine lettuce

An outbreak of E. coli in March of 2018 sickened over 200 people and killed five. After 6 months, the FDA determined the outbreak of bacteria most likely originated from infested water used to irrigate the crop. A nearby Concentrated Animal Feed Operation could be responsible.Forest & Kim Starr via Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY 3.0

CASE STUDY: 2 of 7

Foster Poultry Farms

In 2013, federal inspectors cited Foster Poultry Farms more than 480 times for failing to meet food safety standards at three plants in central California. Those plants were the source of drug-resistant Salmonella outbreak across 29 states and Puerto Rico that sickened 634 people and hospitalized 240.Public Domain cia pxhere, CC0

CASE STUDY: 3 of 7

JBS Beef

Twelve million pounds of raw beef products possibly contaminated with antibiotic-resistant Salmonella were recalled starting in October of 2018. Despite being a dangerous pathogen, plants can sell products even if testing reveals Salmonella.USDA via Flickr, Public Domain

CASE STUDY: 4 of 7

Ritz Crackers & Goldfish

Three million packages of popular snacks were recalled due to possible Salmonella contamination of the whey used in production. This shows companies should be more be diligent about inspecting their own suppliers.Mike Mozart via Flickr, CC-BY 2.0

CASE STUDY: 5 of 7

Honey Smacks

This popular children's cereal was recalled after it was linked to a Salmonella outbreak. Later, the FDA issued two additional notices as some stores apparently failed to remove adulterated cereal from their shelves.theimpulsivebuy via Flickr, CC-BY-SA-2.0

CASE STUDY: 6 of 7

Caito Cut Melon

Pre-cut cantaloupe, watermelon and melon mixes from Caito’s stores in nine states were linked to possible contamination from a strain of Salmonella Adelaide in 2018. Because these products are perishable and raw, a quick and efficient recall system is necessary because any delay risks more illnesses.USDA photo by Scott Bauer, Public Domain

CASE STUDY: 7 of 7

Soy Nut Butter Recall

I.M. Healthy Soy Nut Butter spreads and granolas were recalled in March 2017 after E. coli caused 32 illnesses and 12 hospitalizations (9 of which developed a type of kidney failure). However, the FDA found online companies and some stores still selling contaminated butter after the recall was issued.U.S. FDA, via Flickr, Public Domain

The food recalls illustrated by the case studies highlighted above raise concerns about the efficacy of current policies. Adding to these issues, while we buy our food at the same stores, farmer stands and restaurants, the current, convoluted system splits primary responsibility for different foods between the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the FDA. This has caused inconsistent oversight, ineffective coordination and inefficient use of resources.

Policy Solutions
Our findings make it clear that our food safety defenses need an across-the-board upgrade. Gaps in public health protections, enforcement and inspection make it too likely that dangers will reach Americans plates with potentially disastrous consequences. And, when these dangers are identified through analysis of disease vectors and health impacts, our recall system often allows hazards to continue to impact people’s health.

To solve these problems, we recommend a serious boost to our food safety system.

1. Food Production and Testing

Test water used for irrigation or watering of produce for hazardous pathogens.

Even if beef processors find salmonella in their meat, they can continue selling it until there's a major disease outbreak, and now, nearly 250 people in 25 states have been infected with a strain of Salmonella linked to beef.